Chapter 120: Zachary: Am I Supposed to Be Running a Market Here?

Super-speed movement: by releasing an aura of darkness to envelop himself, the user can reach light speed, and at his peak, even surpass it. Of course, Zagi cannot fully harness the power of this technique at present, only achieving speeds approaching that of light. However, even at this velocity, it far exceeds what Jojo can currently react to. Yet, having anticipated this, Jojo was not flustered when he saw Zagi employ the move.

"Grah!!!" Zagi let out a hoarse roar, his body moving almost like instantaneous teleportation. He appeared before Jojo in a flash, swinging a massive palm heavy with dark gravitational waves toward Jojo's face. It still remembered the two blows it had received to its head just moments ago.

As Zagi struck, the light in Jojo's bulbous eyes dimmed. When vision cannot keep up, it is better to leave the combat to the body's instinctive anticipation—a reasonable feat for an Ultra specialized in hand-to-hand combat. He moved with his heart, striking after the enemy but landing first!

Had Zagi come flying with a sub-light speed kick, Jojo would have dodged without a second thought. But this sequence—Zagi moving in and then swinging a super-gravity palm—was something his Red Form could block!

*Boom!*

A dull thud echoed as Jojo raised his arms to parry the massive strike. His eyes remained closed, a sight that left Zagi momentarily stunned.

"Huh?!"

As Zagi recoiled in surprise, it suddenly felt a sharp pain in its abdomen! Jojo’s other hand, holding the serrated light blade, had transformed it into the Storm Sword, thrusting it deep into Zagi’s belly!

Infuriated, Zagi raised its leg in a direct kick, intending to launch Jojo away, but instead, it kicked directly onto the Storm Sword!

"Grahhh!!!"

The Storm Sword pierced through the top of Zagi’s foot, drawing a howl of agony. With eyes burning crimson, Zagi gathered dark energy in its arms, clenching its fists together to trigger an explosive release of power.

"Gravity Zagi Ray!"

At such close range, it was impossible for Jojo to dodge, but every one of Zagi's movements was within his body's perception. In the split second before impact, Jojo used the Storm Sword—still impaling Zagi’s foot—to pull the monster's leg in front of him as a shield!

Zagi’s expression shifted to shock; it was too late to retract its power. The black-and-red super-gravity beam struck its own lower leg!

*BOOM!*

The limb was obliterated in an instant. The shockwave of the super-gravity beam then hit Jojo’s chest, causing sparks to fly as the Ultra was sent hurtling backward.

It stung, but he could endure it. The now-crippled Zagi roared in rage as dark energy leaked continuously from its severed leg. The body it had hastily constructed was becoming increasingly brittle as the battle dragged on. Initially, Jojo’s attacks could not penetrate its defenses; now, every strike of the Storm Sword left a gaping hole!

"Raaah!!!"

Dark energy surged over its leg, repairing the wounds. Zagi glared at Jojo in the distance, and in a flash, its body vanished!

A moment later, dark ripples manifested, summoning meteorites from the asteroid belt and hurling them all at once toward Jojo! Zagi felt it would be at a disadvantage in close-quarters combat, so it opted for long-range bombardment. Even when Jojo dodged, the meteorites were being manipulated; they acted like homing missiles, trailing him relentlessly.

As he flew away from the Earth’s orbit, Jojo condensed an Ultra Slash (Eight-Point Light Wheel) in his hand and flung it at the incoming debris. The disc split into several smaller wheels, slicing through every meteorite until they exploded in a chain reaction.

Amidst the sea of fire, the black-and-red super-gravity beam shot forth!

"Star Platinum!"

A purple phantom emerged from Jojo’s body. Instantly possessing him, the figure vanished as if teleporting! With the reinforcement of Star Platinum, Jojo’s speed now matched Zagi’s, and as the battle progressed, Star Platinum would continue to grow rapidly.

Zagi released its super-gravity beam, charging out of the flames only to find Jojo gone. It scanned its surroundings, but a blue-and-white beam struck its back from behind! The Specium Ray hit Zagi, sending it spiraling through the cosmos. Sparks showered everywhere!

Recovering, Zagi vanished in a burst of dark light, but Jojo could now keep pace with its speed! Having entrusted his body to Star Platinum, not only had his speed increased, but the startup time for his techniques had also shortened.

As Zagi fled, Jojo pursued relentlessly. He crossed his arms and fired several more Specium Rays! Zagi dodged the blue-and-white beams and glanced back at Jojo, who was hot on its heels, consumed by fury. It felt cornered—this Ultra was simply absurd!

With dark light erupting from its body, Zagi flew toward Venus, Jojo following closely behind. They dove into the planet, where magma erupted and surged periodically.

Suddenly, Zagi spun around. Utilizing the hundreds of meters of volcanic magma erupting around them, it quickly gathered energy and crossed its arms into a T-shape!

"Lightning Zagi Ray!"

However, to maintain a lock on Zagi, Jojo had reactivated his Ultra Eye after Star Platinum’s possession. The magma could not obscure his vision. Seeing Zagi unleash its ultimate move, he rapidly gathered energy in his arms as well!

If Jojo dared to challenge Zagi, he had naturally prepared a decisive counter-move. Leo’s Shooting Beam, amplified by his emotional intensity to the point of shattering stars, was fused with the Layered Beam Storm!

Under Star Platinum’s influence, the casting time was virtually non-existent! He gathered the energy of the Shooting Beam in his right hand and the Layered Beam Storm in his left. As his arms snapped into an L-shape, the fused beam erupted from his limbs!

The brilliant blue ray pierced through the magma, colliding with Zagi’s black-and-red beam! The clash generated a massive explosion, scattering the surrounding lava!

Seeing the beams locked, Zagi immediately poured more power into its attack! The black-and-red ray pushed against the blue, inching closer to Jojo. But as Jojo’s fighting spirit soared, another color began to manifest within the blue glow!

A radiant, golden hue, like electric arcs, entwined with the beam, and its power doubled instantly! The beam began to push back against Zagi’s, Jojo’s gaze locked firmly on his opponent. The massive energy output caused the Y-shaped color timer on his chest to flash a rhythmic *ding-dong*.

Seeing this, Zagi, who had been contemplating escape, immediately redoubled its efforts! In Zagi’s mind, the Ultra was running out of energy; if it could just hold on, it would win.

The two beams continued their stalemate! The light on Jojo’s chest flashed faster and faster, yet his resolve did not waver in the slightest! His sheer willpower caused the power of his beam to multiply once more!

In an instant, Jojo’s beam overwhelmed Zagi’s!

This sudden turn of events caught Zagi off guard, leaving it stunned. Refusing to believe it, Zagi poured even more dark energy into the fray!

"Jojo!!!"

A hoarse, desperate roar escaped its throat as Zagi pushed forward, maintaining the beam. Their arms were almost touching now. Jojo did not shout; instead, the indomitable spirit within him seemed to ignite like golden flames in his eyes.

In that moment, a will known as the "Golden Spirit" empowered Jojo’s beam.